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Robot Master
In the original Mega Man series, the term "Robot Master" refers to a special kind of robot or android that possesses a very advanced level of artificial intelligence. Description There are roughly one hundred thirty six Robot Masters. According to series canon, the Robot Master AI system is jointly credited to Dr. Thomas Light and Dr. Albert Wily. Most Robot Masters possess a unique identification code, consisting of a two-letter "series code" followed by one of N, No, or #, then a three-digit "serial number" (except for the Genesis Unit, which uses two digits). Robot Masters have AIs vastly superior to the smaller, minor robots within the Mega Man universe. This, even more than their generally humanoid appearance (Sniper Joes are also humanoid in appearance, yet obviously inferior to Robot Masters) is what separates Robot Masters from other advanced robots. They often are designed with a particular strength or element in mind, thus allowing them to thrive in specific environments. Robot Masters tend to be programmed with human-like personalities and quirks, advanced enough to fool most people into believing them to think and act of their own accord. However, this is not true, as the ''Mega Man X'' series states X as the first robot to truly be able to think for himself. Robot Masters have a certain capability of thought and will—this allows them to be decisive on the battlefield, yet cannot generally operate beyond certain guidelines. There have been some exceptions, but every one of these occurrences has been explained in some way—such as the robot being faulty to begin with or could have malfunctioned due to damage incurred. NOTE: Some of these Robot Masters have NetNavi counterparts in the Mega Man Battle Network series. The ones that have them will be noted. It must also be noted that the term "Robot Master" is not used in Japan. List of Robot Masters DLN is the series code for Light Labs, literally standing for "Dr. Light Number". In Japan, their code is DRN, for "Dr. Right Number", though some early Mega Man titles erroneously use the DRN code. DLN series 000-008 (Mega Man) The following Robot Masters are from Mega Man Powered Up. Their actual numbers are not known, but their presence at the time of the first game would logically make them part of the DLN series. The series of Mega Man comics by Archie Comics labels them as "DLN-00A" and "DLN-00B", respectively. 065-072 (Mega Man 9) Like most games in the series, Mega Man faces eight new Robot Masters. This lineup includes the first ever female boss character in the original series, Splash Woman. Like the Robot Masters from Mega Man 4 and Mega Man 6 (canonically), while they are not the creation of Wily, their numbers match perfectly in his line. DWN series DWN is the series code for Robot Masters that have been built or modified by Dr. Wily. For each game from Mega Man 2 through Mega Man 10, Capcom ran a Robot Master design contest. Nintendo Power magazine ran a similar contest, but only for Mega Man 6. The DWN series is the result of these contests. The original designer's name is listed in parentheses at the end of each entry. 009-016 (Mega Man 2) 017-024 (Mega Man 3) This lineup of Robot Masters was designed jointly by Dr. Light and Dr. Wily to collect resources for their ultimate project Gamma, a large peacekeeping robot. In Japan, they are therefore referred to as the DRWN series, though other versions of Mega Man 3 place them under the Dr. Wily lineup. 033-040 (Mega Man 5) Though these Robot Masters are not given an official creator, it is implied that Wily made them as he was the mastermind behind Mega Man 5's plot. 041-048 (Mega Man 6) The catalyst of the plot for Mega Man 6 was an international robotics competition sponsored by the mysterious Mr. X (later revealed to be Dr. Wily in disguise) where Mr. X claims that he manipulated Dr. Wily all this time. Mr. X steals the eight finalists and reprograms them, turning them into the new Robot Masters. Consequently, the 8 Robot Masters from Mega Man 6 were known as the "MXN" series in the original release of the game. 049-056 (Mega Man 7) Although the first four of these Robot Masters were implied to have been designed well before Mega Man 7, their numbers are sequentially behind the lineup from Mega Man 6. 057-064 (Mega Man 8) Mega Man 8 was the last game to hold a Robot Master design contest. The only Robot Masters from this game designed by the staff were Tengu Man and Astro Man. 073-080 (Mega Man 10) In Mega Man 10, these Robot Masters were among those infected by the robot disease called Roboenza: 081-088 (Mega Man 11) These Robot Masters appear in Mega Man 11, and are creations of Dr. Light reprogrammed by Dr. Wily, even though their number codes state otherwise. Each Robot Master is fitted with either a 'Speed Gear' to improve their speed, or a 'Power Gear' to increase their raw attack power. DCN series 025-032 (Mega Man 4) Each of the Robot Masters numbered 025-032 were designed by Dr. Cossack and later modified by Dr. Wily at the time when he captured Dr. Cossack's daughter and blackmailed him to work with him. The game lists three of the Robot Masters with the wrong identification codes.()The Mechanical Maniacs Although they officially bear Dr. Cossack's identification code, their numbers fit in the lineup of the DWN series, and Mega Man 4 reflects this by listing them under the DWN series. Other series KGN series KGN is the series code for the King Guardians, elite Robot Masters who enlisted in or were forcibly conscripted into King's army and were promoted to ranks of prominence, evidenced by the fact that they guard the entrance to his castle, hence their name. The KGN series appeared in Mega Man & Bass, alongside Tengu Man and Astro Man. RKN series RKN is the series code for "Rockman Killers". In the English versions, they were called "Mega Man Hunters" in the games for the Game Boy, but "Megaman Killers" in Mega Man & Bass. Regardless, the code remained the same. Each RKN robot is named after a musical genre. While considered as an analog, Quint is technically not part of the RKN series. Similarly, Terra is also an analog but is part of the SRN series of Stardroids as he was not designed by Wily. SRN series SRN is the series code for the "Space Rulers" that appeared in Mega Man V. The Space Rulers were called "Stardroids" in the English releases. Each SRN robot is named after one of the nine planets in the Solar System, following definitions as of the time of Mega Man V's release. (Pluto was redesignated as a dwarf planet in August 2006.) None of the SRN Robot Masters have Net Navi counterparts. MWN series MWN is the series code for the "Megaworld Corps" that appeared in Mega Man: The Wily Wars. In Mega Man & Bass, they are referred to as the "Genesis Unit". Each MWN robot is based on a character from the Chinese epic work Journey to the West. Mega Man (PC) These Robot Masters appeared in the PC version of Mega Man. Mega Man 3 (PC) These Robot Masters appeared in the PC version of Mega Man 3. Special series Generally, these robots have unknown or special origins, and have unique numbers or no number at all. Dimensions series A mysterious robot force which serves Rockman Shadow, a prototype robot based on early Mega Man redesigns (Quint). They arrived from the future and destroyed Symphony City. Although they do not have a specific series code, they are known collectively as the Dimensions. These RMs appear in the WonderSwan game Rockman & Forte: Challengers From the Future. Rockman Strategy Planned Robot Masters |"Bond Man" |- |Bond Man was designed by Keiji Infuane along with the first six robot masters of the first Mega Man game, but, due to the technical limitations of the NES, only six robot masters could go into the final game, so out of the seven that already been designed, Bond Man got cut. He was originally designed to help with dangerous jobs, like the 6 robots of the first game, and he would use industrial strength glue to bond objects that needed bonding (hence the name). Because of his obscurity and the fact that he has never appeared in any Mega Man game ever, he is considered somewhat of a legend among Mega Man fans, particularly the ones in Japan. Other media Hitoshi Ariga, one of the creators behind the manga Mega Man Megamix, designed a female Robot Master character named Piano, meant to serve as a counterpart to Bass; the series ended without her appearing in any stories. Mega Man: Fully Charged includes several redesigned Robot Master characters. It also includes three new robot characters: Hypno Woman, Blasto Woman, and Chemistry Man. LMN Series The LMN series is a line of Robot Masters created by Dr. Noele Lalinde, a character exclusive to the Mega Man series from Archie Comics. The first robot of this line is LMN-001, known in her civilian form as Tempo and in her armored form as Quake Woman. Created as an excavation robot, Quake Woman was injured during a cave in, and Dr. Lalinde was horrified by the thought of losing the robot she thought of as a daughter. In an effort to distance herself from her creation, Lalinde removed Quake Woman's emotions, but eventually realized that her feelings for Tempo remained. She subsequently restored Quake Woman's emotions and aided her in the process of rediscovering them. Quake Woman has been an ally to both Mega Man and Roll, as well as confronting Proto Man over his bitterness towards Dr. Light. Lalinde later constructed second robot, LMN-002 AKA Vesper Woman, a wasp-themed robot designed for pollination and botanical cataloging, whose design was an abandoned concept for the Robot Master Hornet Man. EWN Series EWN (Eggman Wily Number) is the series code for the Roboticized Masters that appeared in the storyline, Worlds Collide, which is a 12 issue crossover between Archie Comics series Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic Universe and Mega Man. The term Roboticized Masters comes from a mix of Robot Masters and Roboticization (the process of turning a living being into a robot) from the Sonic the Hedgehog comics. During the storyline, Dr. Wily joined forces with Sonic the Hedgehog's nemesis Doctor Eggman in the hopes of conquering both their respective worlds and planned to gather the Chaos Emeralds to do so. To ensure victory, the two doctors captured and roboticized the friends of Sonic the Hedgehog. The roboticization process was Dr. Eggman's doing, while Roboticized Masters were designed in a similar fashion to the Robot Masters. Though as per Eggman's methods, they lack personality. An additional benefit of the combination of their tech is that the Roboticized Masters can travel between worlds freely as traveling between dimensions require the traveler to be in the company of that world's resident (i.e. Bass needing to be in the company of Metal Sonic, or vice versa).Mega Man #24 (Worlds Collide, Part 1) Tails is the first to undergo the roboticization. Though he is disabled when Mega Man fires a Mega Buster shot, followed by Sonic's Spin Dash Attack, then cured when Mega Man copies his weapon data.Mega Man #25 (Worlds Collide, Part 4) Tails upon learning this later modifies the Mega Buster to have the same frequency of the Spin Dash Attack.Sonic the Hedgehog #249 (Worlds Collide, Part 6) Each time one of the Roboticized Masters is restored to their original form, they leave behind an orb, which empowers Mega Man with the Master Weapon they originally held. During the second crossover, Worlds Unite, Wily and Eggman captured both Mega Man and Sonic with the intent of putting them under their control on behalf of Sigma (though both scientists secretly plan to betray the reploid).Sonic Universe #76 (Worlds Unite, Part 1) Mega Man was converted into an Eggman style robot referred to as M'egga Man, while Sonic was turned into a Roboticized Master going by the name Sonic Man.Sonic Boom #8 (Worlds Unite, Part 2) Both successfully installed Sigma's Unity Engines in each other's respective dimension, causing both worlds to merge.Sonic the Hedgehog #273 (Worlds Unite, Part 3) Shadow Man, Silver Man and Blaze Woman are the only ones to be given a specified number which respectively are EWN-003, EWN-004 and EWN-005. See also * Maverick * NetNavi References Category:Mega Man races Category:Video game bosses Category:Fictional robots